Second Chance
by LastSurvivorOfTheApocalypse
Summary: The last things she noticed before she fell asleep were, the warmth of the campfire right next to her and the cool metal of her switchblade in her hand. But in the next morning, everything was different. No campfire, no forest around her, but far the worst, no Joel.
1. The Next Morning

**Hello theeeeere! The idea for this story just didn't let me go! I hope you'll like it! Enjoy it! :D**

**sg LSOTA**

It was today when Ellie and Joel arrived in the Salt Lake City hospital and it was today when they left.

It had to be the last day for Ellie to live, she had to be sacraficed to save thousands of others.

That's what she wanted, that's what she espected.

So it suprised her even more, when she found herself on a back seat of a car and when Joel said that the Fireflies stopped to find a cure.

''There's a whole lot more like you, Ellie.'' He said.

She didn't know what to respond, so she dropped the issue.

Now she's sitting here, staring in the flames of the campfire and thinking about the today's events. Did Joel really tell her the truth?

Of course, she can trust him, but the whole thing seems too absurd.

The disbelief fret her and the more she thinks about it, the more it gets worse.

Everything she did can't be for nothing.

She looks over to Joel, who is sitting on a trunk, staring in the fire, a content expression on his face. He turns his face to her and smiles, a sincere one and she gives him a weak smile back.

'No he would never lie to me' she thinks and interrupts the eye contact.

''When we reach Jackson, everything's gonna be alright, Ellie. No hunters, no bandits and no fireflies, we'll live a calm and peaceful life. You'll see, I promise!''

He says and she looks again in his eyes, to see any doubt, but she finds none.

''Sounds great.''

She says and gives him again a smile, stands up and yawns.

''I think I'll try to sleep.'' she says, knowing it will take her hours to fall asleep.

''Fine, I'll watch out, good night.''

He gives back, she drops herself to the ground, which isn't as hard as she thought and uses her backpack as a pillow.

She pulls her switchblade out of her pocket, like always when she wants to sleep, it gives her a weird feeling of protection and when they are attacked she is always ready to fight back.

She tights her grip around the cool metal, when she remembered the last owner.

''Night.'' She mutters and closes her eyes.

The campfire softly crackles, like a lullaby in her ears and she can feel the warmth of the flames on her face, when her mind slowly drifts away into the world of dreams.

Well, in her case the world of nightmares.

* * *

She wakes up, her grip still tight around her switchblade, when she roles from her right side on her back.

Something is different, the ground under her is different.

It isn't hard anymore, no absolutly not. It actually feels confortable, soft and so good against her body, which is familiar with a hard and rocky ground to sleep on.

And she is rolled up in..._Blankets?_ It flashes through her mind and she finally opens her eyes, only to face a ceiling, her eyes widen and she lifts herself up to take a look around.

_Where the hell am I?!_ She thinks confused.

It looks like a bedroom.

There is a black, wooden desk under a window, with close-drawn curtains, on the left

side, with a chair, comics and books lie on it, also a small lamp stands there.

Then on the right side is a white wardrobe right next to it is a wooden book-shelf, filled with more books and comics and trophies.

At the wall in front of Ellie is a second, but smaller bookshelf, filled with CD covers.

There is a shelf with a strange black box too and on it lies a smaller, black thing with buttons and joysticks. On the shelf stands a television and right next to it a radio. She notices a skateboard, which leans against the right wall and on the ground lies a football, next to two paires of shoes. A grey carpet covers the bottom and the walls are covered with posters and photos.

To her suprise, the most photos are from her, smiling with persons she never saw before.

_Who are these people and why I can't remember them?_

The only picture she ever took was with Riley and she had to leave it back in Boston in the military school.

She jumps out of the bed and steps on the wooden floor, the switchblade still in her hand she notices that her jeans, t-shirt and hoddie are replaced.

With grey sweatpants and a green t-shirt with a motive, she is also barfoot.

_What is all this about? Where is Joel and how on earth did I get her?_

She closes her eyes and massages her temples with her fingers to re-arrange her thoughts.

_Okay, okay, so yesterday I was laying by the campfire, Joel was with me and everything was fine and today I wake up in a strange bed, in a strange room and Joel is gone. Well, that doesn't sound crazy at all!_

She thinks with a grimace and her head begins to hurt from all the confusion and the thousand questions, which flashes through her mind.

Suddenly she hears something.

More specifically someone.

She sneaks to the door, presses her right ear against the wood and holds her breath.

She hears someone singing with a high, melodic voice.

_Who can be so stupid to sing, especially that loud? There are possibly clickers or runners around!_. She opens gently the door and a delicious smell flys in her nose, when she takes a deep breath.

_Holy shit that smells like heaven!_

Her stomach agrees with a growl and she slips out of the room in a small corridor.

The first time, since she woke up, she notices that this building isn't touched by any destructions, it's the cleanest place Ellie ever saw.

_It's like this place is completely isolated from the outside world._

To her right are two more doors and to her left are stairs, which lead downstairs and also to the singing.

She makes her way, on tiptoes to the stairs and sneaks step for step down, the switchblade ready, just in case.

As she leaves the stairs behind she stands in a second corridor.

There is the maindoor in front of her, on her left an open doorway to another room, two other doors, and at the end of the corridor the back exit.

One of the two doors is open, the singing and the delicious smell come obviously from that room.

Ellie sneakes along the wall and stops at the doorframe.

She bend forward and gets a sneak peek at the scene in the room.

There is a woman in front of a herd, she has blond hair, which is bound to a long ponytail. She wears dark jeans, a white t-shirt, black converse, and she has a trim figure .

Ellie can only see the back of the woman, so she can't see her face.

The woman sings and bobs up and down cheerfully, while she stacks a tower of something round and thin on a plate right next to her on a kitchen counter.

The view of the plate with the cause of that wonderful smell let Ellie slobber and distracts her for a few seconds.

Enough time for the woman to turn around and to see Ellie in the doorframe, like hypnotized, slobbering and staring at the great meal.

The woman stops singing and a wide grin appeares on her freckled face.

''Seems like someone's starving, huh?''

Ellie suddenly frozes and her gaze slips from the steaming deliciousness to the woman, who is now facing her.

The woman has soft, green eyes, her face is covered with a few freckles, she has high cheekbones, full lips and pale skin.

Looks like she's something around thirty.

_Wait, for some reason the appearance reminds me of something..._

''Hey, honey are you alright?''

The woman says with a worried expression. She nears Ellie, rests her hands on the girl's shoulders and bends forward to the same eyelevel like Ellie.

But Ellie only gazes in abstraction.

_She looks like how Marlene always described my...no that's impossible, she is dead! It can't be HER!_

Without thinking Ellie bursts out. ''Anna..?''

At first the woman looks surprised, then her eyes soften again and she says with a chuckle.

''Yeah, that's my name, but you can call me mum, sweetie. Now take a seat, I bet our neighbours can hear your stomach growling and before they call an animal rights activist, we should feed the beast.''

She chuckled again and gives her daughter a kiss on the forehead, turns around to grap the plate of smells-like-heaven-deliciousness and put it down on a wooden table with four chairs, mumbles something about ''...teenager nowerdays...''

Ellie walks over and takes a seat, she hides her switchblade in the pocket of her sweatpants.

_I know I should be happy, I should kiss and hug her, just for the fact that she is alive, but I'm still too confused. How is that even possible? Am I dreaming?_

She pinchs unobtrusive her arm..., nothing she is still here and her arm hurts now, great.

_Maybe I'm sleeping very deep this time and even Joel can't wake me up._

She thought, but she acknowledges to herself that it feels very real for a dream.

Her mother places a empty plate in front of her and a glass with an orange liquid, also a fork is placed next to the plate.

Anna takes the seat across Ellie and places a cup on her side and begins to read, what looks like a newspaper.

''Do you eat nothing?''

Ellie asks and begins to smell at the substance in the glass, her eyes widen.

_No fucking way, that's orange juice! This dream evolves to one of my favorite ones ,maybe it could top the one, in which I rode a dinosaur!_

Before the mother can answer the question of her daughter, the redhead yells excited.

''Where did you get that?''

Ellie points at the glass and looks expectant to the woman, who now lowers the newspaper to face her daughter and when she sees what the girl means, she only raises one brow in confusion.

''From the supermarket?'' she answers.

''Is there more of this?'' Ellie hopefully asks, eyes still wide.

''Yeah...?''

Anna responses, still confused.

''Awesome, next time you have to take me with ya!''

The redhead says and shovels the most part of the tower on her plate, Forgetting what her first question was.

Anna gives her daughter a leery glance. The last time her daughter came with her to go grocery shopping, was, well five years ago, when she was ten.

In the time, when her daughter grew older, Ellie not only preferred to stay at home when her mother went shopping, she started to spend less time with her too.

Well, that's how teenagers are, but it is still hard for Anna to accept that her little girl becomes older and one day starts her own life.

And for that fact she is even more excited that her daughter wants to come with her.

So she only smiles and gives her attention again to the newspaper.

Ellie begins to bolt the food in her mouth and moans with every bite.

_That's sooo goood!_

Her mother again lowers the newspaper to look at her daughter and raises amused a brow at her.

Ellie gives her a shy smile and blushes a little.

Anna just grins back shakes her head and continues with reading.

When Ellie finishs her meal, she takes the glas of orange juice and begins to drink.

While she is drinking, she scans the newspaper and something gets her attention, it was the date.

She spooks the juice out again, right on the newespaper and her mother.

''Ellie!''

Anna shouts surprised.

''What's gooten into you?!''

She says and looks unbelievable to her daughter.

''Today is the 27. september 2013!''

Ellie whispers, shocked.

''Yeah, I know your birthday is in five days and your excited, but that doesn't mean to act like a pig.''

She rebukes her daughter and stands up to take a kitchen towel.

''It's one day after the outbreak..''

Ellie mumbles with a shaky voice.

''What did you say?'' her mother asks.

But she doesn't hear it, cause only one thought shoot through her mind.

_I have to find Joel!_

**EEEEnd of chapter 1, thanks for reading and tell me if you like it so far! C:**

**sg LSOTA**


	2. Just a dream?

**Heeeeeere is chapter 2, hope you'll like it, thanks for the follows and reviews, I really appreciate them.**

**Dani: Well, I knew that of course! ;P**

**Guest: Glad you like it C:**

**Alina: Thank you. I hope this chapter will answer your questions! C: And thank you very much for your encouragement, really liked to read it! :3**

Low voices come to Joels ears, when he slowly opens his eyes, only to close them again quickly against the bright sunlight, which shines on his face.

With a grunt he roles to his right side, to avoid the blinding sunbeams, when the voices turn louder. He slowly opens his eyes, his view blurry, but it slowly clears.

He faces a nightstand, just a few inches away from his face, a lamp, a clock, a small bottle of pills and a newspaper are placed on the small wooden table.

He contracts his brows in confusion, that was the moment when he notices soft fabric on his skin.

Joel lifts his head, only to see him laying in a bed.

_What the..._

His eyes widen, when he takes a look around.

_I'm in my old bedroom._

He thinks when he considers the familiar room. The TV was on, which causes the voices.

_Please not these nightmares again, I thought they were gone!_

He swings his legs over the edge of the bed, sitting now, he rubs his eyes.

After the outbreak, Joel had them every single night, always about this fatal night, in which he had to see his daughter die, no matter how hard he tried to save her, it always ended the same way.

His daughter liveless in his arms, her shirt soaked with blood, and her hands also covered with the red liveliquid. These nightmares shatters his strained nerves and he's sure they are the main cause for his grey hair.

But when he met Ellie and his fatherly feelings grew for her, his nighmares came less often eventuelly they just quitted.

Not that Ellie could ever replace Sarah, but he found a person to fight for, to care about, it is something to hold on to, in that destroyed world and she fills a part of the hole in his heart.

He stands up, walks around the bed and heads for the door, while looking around.

_It's been a looong time since I was here hindermost._

Despite that fact and the other that this is a dream, it surprises him even more that he can remember his room so detailed.

There are his blue slippers on the floor, his green and white striped bedclothes,

a photo of him and Tommy on the other nightstand, the painting of horses on the wall right next to the door and at least the dent in that door, when he once ran into it.

All these things, has to be forgotten.

_Strange... ._

A ringing interrupts his thoughts and the babble of a woman from the TV fades into the background.

Joel winces and stops at the piercing, but familiar melodie of his cellphone.

_Jesus, I'm near a heartattack!. _

He turns his head to the direction of the ringing, it comes from the mountain of clothes on the stool in front of his bed.

He quickly rifles through the heap and eventually finds his cellphone.

The display tells him that it was Tommy, and his finger slips over the screen as he brings it up to his ear.

''Hello?''

''_Joel?!_''

''Yeah?''

''_Thank god it's you! Listen something really crazy is going on!''_

Joel can hear the desperate in his brother's voice, he can nearly feel how his brother is shaking at the other end of the phone.

''What are you talking about?''

''_I'm talking about the fact, that I yesterday fell asleep next to my wife in Jackson and today I woke up, back in Austin in my old apartment! Something happened and I have no clue what, where are you anyway?_''

Joel listens the whole time to him and now as his baby brother finishs, his brain begins to process what he heared.

_So this is not a dream or what? But that isn't possible, there is no logic explanation! They just can't jump 21 years back into the past. That's just crazy._

_''JOEL?!'' _Tommy shouts from the other end of the phone, the third time now.

Joel, who comes back to reality, says calmly.

''Well I'm in my old house, I woke up a few minutes ago, but Tommy, this is just crazy, I'm dreaming and I'm sure I'll wake up any minute.''

''_You WHAT...?! Joel listen, this ain't a dream! It's real, it's fucking REAL!And...''_

But the brother can't end his sentence, when Joel hangs up and throws his cellphone back in the heap of clothes.

He drives one hand through his hair and sighs.

He let himself fall on the bed and closes his eyes.

_It can't be true. If this is real, it means that Sarah...No! _

_I mustn't make me any hope, cause that means more pain afterward. _

_Pain which I can't handle again. I will wake up, and Ellie and I will arrive in Jackson, where my real brother waits for us. _

_Everything will be fine, I promised her._

_This is just a dream Joel!_

''I'll prove it!'' he whispers, while standing up.

His view slips to the window.

_And I know how._

He nears the window and opens it.

A fresh cool brezze flys against his face and through his hair, he takes a deep breathe and faces the wide forest in front of his house and far away he can see silhouettes of high buildings.

His view drops to the ground, which is overgrown with gras and bushs.

_Mhh, four or five meters._

Joel first swings his left leg over the windowsill, then he pulls the other leg up to join the left one.

''Daddy?''

He suddenly startles, his heart tights painfully at the high familiar voice of his daughter.

It makes him lose balance and he falls forwards from the windowsill, unable to hold onto something.

''DAD!?'' It comes surprised and scared from behind him.

It is like in slowmotion when everything drifts past and he slowly nears the ground. He closes his eyes.

_Just a dream! _

Joel hits the ground and everything turns dark.

* * *

He opens his eyes, his view blurry and with every wink, pain rushes through his head. He grunts and closes his eyes to avoid it, it doesn't work.

''Lucky bastard, the painkillers don't work yet, huh?''

A familiar deep voice asks, followed by light footsteps, which neares him. He feels a gentle grip around his neck, well as good as the neck brace allows . He opens his eyes again slowly, a blond head resting on his chest.

_Sarah..._

He quickly looks around, he is in a hospital room. There are two chairs, standing at the wall, on one is Tommy sitting, his arms folded in front of his chest, he gives Joel an impish grin.

''Daddy, I'm so glad you woke up, I..I.. was so sca..a..ared as I saw yo..o..ou lay there motionle..e..ess.'' Sarah whimpers, while crieing and tights her grip around Joels neck.

Joel just wraps his arms, one of them bandaged, around his daughter, who faces him now with her blue teary eyes. He pulls her closer and she buries her face in his shoulder, while he gently rubs her back.

''Shh, baby girl I'm right here and I'm fine, everything's gonna be fine.'' he whisperes softly in her ear.

''I love you Dad!'' His daughter mutters in his shoulder between sobs.

Joel looks to Tommy his eyes filled with tears of joy, which now stream down his cheeks. His baby brother gives him a warm knowing smile back.

''I love you too baby girl!'' he mutters and helds Sarah tighter.

It is true, they are back, back in their old life. Better, a world in which the infection hopefully will never exist. A world in which everthing is fine, where his baby girl is alive and in his arms.

And then the realisation hits him and his heart drops.

_A world without Ellie... ._

**End of chapter 2, hope you liked it! Stay tuned!**

**your LSOTA**

**PS: Next chapter will be longer! CC:**


	3. New World

**Chapter 3. Took a little long, but you know, school and stuff. 13 follows and 7 favorites, wow, thank you very much. C:**

**And now, enjoy the chapter. Like I promised, a long one. :)**

**Dani: Thank you, Glad you like it! :D**

Anna's eyes follow her daughter, as said girl paces back and forth, while her bar feet making light clap sounds on the kitchen floor. She helds her head with her hands, panic written in her face and she utters something under her breath. The last time, Anna saw her daughter that upset was, when the young redhead had her first date.

She was so excited and she really liked the boy, but when she searched through her wardrobe and found nothing to wear (well, she asserted it), she was near to tears. She begged her mother to go shopping in the mall and Anna knew that her baby girl would never give up, so she indulged.

They eventually found a nice new outfit and the redhead was happy. The smile on her daughter's face was it worth it, even as she came back home from the date and confessed, that the boy wasn't her type.

But now as Anna watchs her, she knows that, what ever botheres her daughter isn't like the case with the date, it's more than that. And it has something to do with today's date.

_But what is it? Maybe she forgot to learn for a test or she forgot a friend's important birthday._

Meanwhile thousands of thoughts rush through Ellies mind.

_One day after the outbreak! I can't believe it. _

_One fucking day after the outbreak and I'm here with Anna, my mother, who is actually death, well was death and now she's alive and that's just so crazy! She's so familiar with me, like she knows me, my whole life. Maybe it's just like that!_

_But the craziest thing is, that it feels like I know her my whole life, too. But otherwise she's a stranger to me at the same time. Fucking confusing. _

Her head feels like to explode.

_I need answers! _

_Maybe Joel knows what the hell's going on and what to do, he always knows. So at first I have to find him! _

She stops in her track, looks up, out of the kitchen window. She sees a little girl with a bagback, walking along the sidewalk, holding a woman's hand. It's a sunny day. No panicing people, running around, haunted and catched by runners.

_Seems like in this world the infection doesn't exist or maybe not yet._

_So Joel has to live in Texas right? It was Austin...I'm not sure but something with an 'A'. But how can I get there, I don't even know where _I_ am...Fuck._

A desperate sigh escapes her lips and before she knows what's happening she feels a gentle grap on her shoulder.

A soft hand cups her cheek and begins to stroke her skin.

Anna brings her daughter's face up, so that their eyes meet.

Ellie calms a little bit down, as she meets the soft, caring look of her mother

''Hey, what's wrong?''

Anna asks softly.

''Ihavtoufindjoel..''

Ellie mumbles, uneasy with the sudden contact .

''Can you repeat it honey, you know I can't understand you when you're mumbling.''

Anna replies.

''I have to find Joel!''

Ellie nearly screams now.

Anna, now confused , raises an eyebrow.

_Joel? Who is Joel?_

Anna can't remember, that Ellie ever mentioned someone named Joel and she knows all her daughter's friends, well at least her best friends.

_And it must be one of her best friends, otherwise it wouldn't make her that upset._

The hand, which cupped Ellies cheek drops to her other shoulder.

''Who's Joel? Is he a friend of yours?''

Anna asks, takes a quick look to the kitchen clock, before she takes Ellies hand and leads her into a cozy livingroom.

_It's almost eight thirty, if she want's to be timely at school, I have to drive her. But first we have to get this straight!_

Anna sits both of them on the grey comfortable couch. She takes her daughter's hands and looks expectangly in the redhead's face.

Ellie thinks a briefly moment.

_Joel and I are friends,...I think. Well, our relationship is more like father-daughter than like friends._

_But how the hell do I know, I never had a father. _

_So, let's just call it a '' friendship''._

''We are friends, we passed through really fucked up shit, together and... .''

''Ellie!'' Anna interrupts her, shock written in her face.

''What?'' Ellie asks, confused of the sudden outburst of her mother.

''Since when do you use such words!?''

Ellie blinks twice and replies.

''You mean shit and stuff, I think always?''

''Always?!okay..., but please stop using them, it's not ladylike.''

Clearly irritated, Ellie pulls one hand out of her mother's grip and scratches her head.

''I'll try.''

Anna sighes and squeezes Ellies hand.

''Good, so what do you mean with f-bad...things?''

Ellies view drops to the ground, memories of the last winter flashes through her mind . Fire. Smoke.

The man, hunched over her... .

She closes forcefully her eyes.

It took her months to push the memories to the deepest corner of her brain, from where they never haunt her again. Luckily Joel never asked her about what happened, while he was out.

He knew the wounds need time to heal.

But the memories haunt her in her dreams. No night passes in which she doesn't wake up. Screaming from a nightmare and usually Joel comes to her side, to comfort her.

It helps a little, but she would stay the rest of the night awake.

A further squeeze at her hand took her back to reality and she aprubtly opens her eyes, only to meet the concerned, but soft look of her mother.

Ellie gives her a weak smile and begins.

''Well, I...'' But she stops, as she realises it.

_Wait! _

Ellie can't just tell her mother what happened last winter, and what she had done.

_She'll think I'm fucking crazy!_

_The hell, I have to be the girl she knows as her daughter. Well, _I am_ her daughter but not her real one._

Her real daughter grew up in a world without the outbreak, without, Runners or Clickers, without the fear that every day could be her last.

_She has a normal life, in which she only has to care about which skirt goes with which shirt or dating boys. _

She grimaces at that.

_Such a load of bullshit! _

_The worst part is, I can never tell anyone, what happened to me. Never! Even if. They will call me crazy and confine me or what ever they did with crazy people back then.. ._

And what if she never find Joel, what if he doesn't exist in this world. She can't even imagine that.

''Ellie, no don't cry!''

Anna burst out, she wraps her arms around the small frame of her daughter and pulls her tight in an embrace.

Ellie touches unbelieving her now wet cheek.

She rarely cries, especially not in front of others, she always felt uneasy with that. But this time she can't stop it, the whole situation was too much to handle.

_Wow Ellie, really?You're such a sissy._

Ellie thought bitterly.

The now sobbing girl eases into the embrace and the tears never stop flowing.

As if a dam just brokes down, which she built up all the passed months.

Her mother strokes her hair and whispers in her ear.

''Shh, everything's gonna be fine sweetie, just let it go.''

Anna has no idea who this Joel is. She has no idea where he is. She has no idea what he has to do with her baby girl. But that's for sure, where ever he is, Anna will find him!

_That's a promise, and I never break my promises._

* * *

After Anna informes the school that her daughter won't show up for lessons, she leads Ellie up to her room. She makes sure that the exhausted girl lies in her bed warm and save, so said girl can take some sleep. She leaves her with a kiss on her forehead and gets ready for work. Anna gets in her car and drives like every morning to the hospital.

* * *

Ellie starts from her sleep. At first she doesn't know what wakes her up, because her sleep was dreamless.

_Very rare._

Then she finally hears a loud melodie, which comes from under her pillow.

_What the...?_

She lifts it up and a cellphone appears. She saw this kind of things before,but they never worked.

But the display of this one glows and the melodie is, now that it isn't covered with the pillow anymore, much louder.

_Unbearable!_

Ellie graps the source of noise and tries to figure out how to mute it. She quickly finds two buttons and pushs them, but it doesn't help and she snorts frustrated.

''Just shut the fuck up!'' Ellie curses and eventually she begins to hit it against the nightstand. It finally worked and silence fills the room.

_Thank you! Shit I hope I didn't break it._

She looks again at the display and sighs reliefed, it still glows.

The obling, lathy phone, with its round edges, lies very compact in Ellies palm.

It was black and smooth and on the back side it has a symbol, which looks like an apple.

The display shows her 3:30 pm and she reads '3 missed calls'.

Ellie knows that, before the outbreak, people used to have 'smartphones' and much other technic things. They were nearly addicted to them.

_So, maybe that's _my_ smartphone. But who would call me?_

She grins excited, sits up, studies again the display and she finds more to read.

'8:54 Liv: Hey! Where r u?! It's almost nine and I'm still waiting!'

One more.

'9:15 Liv: Don't tell me u pass school again! I swear I'll come over and kick your ass! D:'

And more.

'9:30 Liv: ELLIE! U can answer me at least! :('

Last one.

'9:57 Liv: I'm sooo gonna kick your ass, hon!'

_Whoever this Liv is, she seems very upset._

_I hope she doesn't mean what she wrote._

There is a last line with big letters 'slide to unlock'.

She begins to slide her finger over the letters from right to left once, twice, but it doesnt' work.

She slides it over her blanket, but that doesn't work either. Then finally she slides her finger from left to right and rows of numbers from zero to nine show up.

_What!? I have to tip a code? Well, let's try 5,2,1,3._

She tipes it but it doesn't work.

_Then 1,2,3,4._

It doesn't work either.

_What do you want from me?Anyway, I'll never give up!_

She tries it a few times again and finally a message pops up 'wait 5 min. to try again'

''Fuck you! I have no time for that!''

_Maybe it works when I hit it again._

With that, she begins to hit it against the nightstand.

Then a ***Crack*** follows.

_What happened?_

She looks at the display, there is a large crack and it stops glowing.

Ellie tries to push the buttons but it is useless.

_Oh noo, this time I actually broke it._

''Fuck!''

With a disappointed sigh, she takes the smartphone back under her pillow.

Ellie kicks her blanket away and sits on the edge of her bed, she rubs her eyes and stretchs her entire body, which causes her bones to crack.

Then she looks curious around. Last time she hadn't the chance to explore her room, so she will make up for it.

She stands up and the first thing she does is to examinate the comics on the desk.

She scims through a few pages and they seem very interesting.

There is one with a man who has powers like a spider. He can climb up walls and shoot spiderwebs.

_Fucking awesome!_

Another one with a big green monster, who is stronger than ten men. She recognises him, he is on her green sleep shirt. As she lies the comics back she walks to the pictures on the wall.

The most pictures are of her and a girl, who she doesn't recognise. She has blonde, long hair and blue eyes, her skin is tanned and in every picture she looks different, more specifically, she makes different grimaces. Ellie herself, always has a wide, goofy grin, which reaches her eyes.

There are other pictures with more people, other boys and girls. In one they're sitting together at a table with her, filled glasses resting in their hands and they're all smiling.

Another one is on a beach, where the blonde girl and Ellie lie on towels and two boys standing next to them with thumbs up, grinning.

Ellie always wanted to go on the beach, but it was of course too dangerous.

_Maybe this time I can!_

A crowl interrupts her thoughts and she feels a familiar hurt of her stomach.

_What the?! I'm hungry? Again?!_

She quickly opens her wardrobe and finds her old backpack, not as worn as before and her weapons and supplies are missing, of course.

_Oh no Rileys pendant, too. Great. Now I have only the memories. _

A sigh escapes her lips.

She changes her sweatpants with a pair of dark jeans, slips a red hoddie on and stores her switchblade in her pocket.

Then she finds a pair of socks, put on some black converse, shoulders her backpack and finally head for the door.

_Ugh, I've to take a piss._

She walks out into the corridor and nears the door next to her room and she opens it.

A light scent of citrone filles her nose as she studies the room in front of her.

_Bingo!_

There is a white sink with a silver faucet, a shower and a toilet. It has a tile floor, which is covered with a white small carpet. Ellie quickly does her bathroom deeds and walks to the mirror above the sink.

Her skin isn't dirty, like yesterday and it seems like she has more freckles than before.

She still has her short scar, which goes through her right brow.

_I wonder from where I got it in this world._

For the first time she notices, that her hair is not bound in a ponytail, it seems much longer and her strands are curly.

_Weird, my hair never has been curly before._

A sudden thought flashs through her mind and she pulls her right sleeve up.

Where usually her bitemark was, is now a pink halfmoon.

_Looks like a scar or a birthmark. Maybe this world is somekind connected with the one I came from._

Eventually she slips out of the bathroom.

Through the corridor she walks downstaires, directly into the kitchen, where she finds a white, written paper on the kitchen table.

_'__**Hey sweetie,**_

_**I hope you feel better, while you're reading this. **_

_**I just want to say that, what ever botheres you, you can always tell me and I'll listen. **_

_**Even if I'm the whole day at work, I'm always there for you and I hope you know that.**_

_**Let's order a pizza tonight and we can talk.**_

_**With all my love mum'**_

Ellie never exspected to get a second letter from her mother.

_She really loves me, huh?_

A warm feeling rushes through her body and she smiles.

_That feels good._

She turns her attention to the kitchen cupboards.

_Let's see what we have here._

She takes everything she can get, cans with food, a few waterbottles, even chips.

_No way! I love chips!_

Eventually she finds a pot, on which is written 'nutella'.

_Nutella? Mhh... never heard of it._

She takes one finger of it and tries.

''Oh my god!'' she moans.

_Holy shit! It's chocolatecream! I totally take you with me!_

She stuffs the pot in her now full backpack and walks out of the kitchen.

She heads for the frontdoor.

As she graps the doorknop, she hesitates.

''I'll be back mum, I promise!''

She wispheres, swings the frontdoor wide open and nearly runs into another person.

She aprubtly stops and her green eyes meet a pair of blue ones. They look amused back and Ellie recognises blonde long hair and tanned skin.

_It is the girl of the pictures._

The girl in front of her grins widely.

''There you are. I hope your butt's ready to meet my shoe!''

_Was it Liv? Yeah Liv was her name._

**End of chapter 3. Hope you liked it, if you did, let me know that in the reviews. In the next chapter Ellie will finally meet Riley and some more other familiar charakters will show up. So stay tuned!**

**your LSOTA.**


	4. A Trip To The Mall

**Hello theeeere! First, don't blame me, blame my lazy butt and the last busy month. *sigh* Sorry for the late update. Soo to make it up to you I wrote an extra looong chapter. Hope you'll like it! Also thanks for the follows, favorites and reviews, I appreciate them a lot. And just to make things clear, this is a Riellie fic, there gonna be a lot of Riellie fluff, to conclude I thought of their relationship to be a romantic one. If you don't like that well, don't read it.** **Enough talking, enjoy the chapter! Happy new year by the way. ;P**

**your LSOTA C:**

* * *

The girl in front of her grins widely.

''There you are. I hope your butt's ready to meet my shoe!''

_Was it Liv? Yeah Liv was her name._

''Hey, I'll not really kick your ass, you know?''

Liv laughes, as she meets the terrified look of the girl in front of her.

A nervous laugh escapes Ellie as well, as she begins to play with her fingers, unsure what to say.

Then Liv continues, oblivious about the uncomfortable state of the redhead.

''You won't believe what happened today at school! Let's go in and I'll tell ya everything.''

She eyes Ellie from head to toe and adds.

''What are you doing out here anyway? And why weren't you at school? You know Alex and the others always asked me where you've been, what's going on with you, blablabla.''

She rolls her eyes.

''I mean they have their own phones to text you!''

She takes Ellies hand, which happens unnoticed by the red head, who is obviously blown away by the outburst of the blonde, who now leads her back into the house.

''Your boyfriend can be quite annoying.''

They make their way to the kitchen.

''But I think you know that best!'' She turns around, grinning and winks at her.

Ellie looks dumbly back, as she realises what Liv just said.

_Wait...What?Boyfriend?_

Suddenly she is taken out of her thoughts_, _as she bumps into the girl in front of her.

''What the-.'' She looks up, only to see that the blonde is holding something in her hand, which gets her full attention.

_What is she doing?_

Ellie releases her hand from the girl's and peeks curiously over saids shoulder.

She watchs fascinated, how the fingers of the blonde dart over the display of a phone, so fast and unstopable, that Ellie barely can follow their moves. She can only read the text, which appears, right above the letters, on which the fingers, with red painted nails are thumping.

_Wow...maaaan and I just broke mine._

She thinks with a pout, as she reaches out with her hand to touch the surface of the phone as well.

''Huh?''

Liv notices the hand, which appears in her view and looks suprised up.

Ellie suddenly flinches back internal cursing her lost of focus.

Liv gives Ellie a confused look but recovers quickly as she says.

''Sorry, I just told my mom that I'm with you, so she doesn't has to worry, when I'm coming home late.'' With that Liv gives Ellie a small smile, stuffs her phone back in her pocket and made her way to the fridge, leaving the red head standing in the door frame.

While Liv searchs through the fridge, she again speaks up.

''Uhm about today...- do you have something sweet? Like chocolate? Maan I'm starving-...''

Her head disappears behind the fridge door, which makes her voice muffled.

''Anyways, you surely know Mr. Parker right? Well, he again had a little ''disput'' with that senior in the schoolyard, I forgot her name, but it was quite entertaining. It began with... .''

Ellie stops listening at that point. Maybe she is one of a curious, maybe she could listen all day to the stories of that girl. Because, of course she is and has always been interested in the world before the outbreak, even if that means listening to an adulescen who tells a stupid little teenage drama, it still is new to her and _exciting_. But right now for god's sake, she has totally no time for that kind of stuff, she has to get anwers to her thousand of questions.

She quickly glances over to the babbling girl, who is still busy with the fridge.

_Good she's still distracted, now Ellie go for it..._.

She quietly turns around to leave the kitchen, on her tiptoes.

_Don't make any sound, don't make any sound, don't make any sound_

''...Riley!''

Ellie whips her head around so fast, she can hear something snaps painfully in her neck.

But she ignores the pain and her eyes are fixaded on Liv, who now takes something out of the fridge, a cup , with something brown.

''Bingo!'' The girl cheers. With a victorious grin, she closes the fridge with a swing of her hips and makes her way to the kitchen table, but not before fishing a spoon out of a drawer nearby.

_Did she just?_

''Riley?''

Ellie repeats slowly, not remembering when she heard the name the last time or even saying it by herself. It sounds nearly strange to her.

''Yeah, I think her name is Riley. I'm sure you know her, sporty, dark skin, brown eyes, brown hair, quite popular, can't really miss her. And it's not the first time she made a scene at school, that's for sure.''

Liv says, while spooning out the cup in her hand and countinues with full mouth.

''Luckiely she's a genius and wins the science tournament for our school every year, 'cause outherwise she would be kicked out by now for her not so commendable actions, if you ask me.''

Ellie remains silent and still stands like stoned in the door frame, eyes wide.

_ It can't be possible. Don't be an idiot and make yourself any hopes._

But she asks the next question anyway, ignoring the warnings of her inner voice and approchs the kitchen table.

''Uhm, what is her last name?'' She asks innocently, sits herself across from Liv, who tips with the spoon at her chin, apperantly thinking.

''Mhhh Riley..., Riley..., ah yes! Riley Smith, yeah that's her name.''

A wave of disappointment rushes over Ellie, as she just replays ''Oh.''

She practically hears her inner voice laughing at her naivete, but she just shakes it off with a frown.

''Why are you asking?'' The question hits her unexpected and she quickly answers sheepishly.

''Ah, well I'm just curious, that's all.''

Liv gives the red head a leery look, but before she can say anything else, a sudden sound interrupts the, for Ellie, uncomfortable conversation.

With a quick motion, the blonde fishs her ringing phone out of her pocket and brings it up to her ear, while she holds up a finger to Ellie, for the girl a sign to wait.

And so she does, not sure why, but she waits patient, until Liv ends her call, with a happy expression on her face.

''Sooo, I just got a call from Kate. She and Lucy are at the mall and they just asked if we want to join them. What do ya think?''

At first she never takes a trip to the mall as an option, she wasted enough time by chatting with this random girl. But now as she considers it again, it could be a good idea, especially for her lack of supplies. Well she surely has enough food, but she has only a switchblade as weapon and a map could be useful, too. And if Joel really is in Texas in his old home, where he used to live before the outbreak, then there shouldn't be a need to worry.

_He must be save, right?_

''Helloooo, is someone in there?''

Ellie feels a light knock against her skull, as she suddenly comes back to reality.

She's met by an inpatient Liv, standing next to her, who mere seconds before tapped with her finger against her friends head.

_Hell, stay focused!_

As she notices she got the attention of the girl in front of her, Liv asks again.

''Are you coming or not?''

Ellie who jumps up from her chair makes a quick decision.

''Yes!''

There is also another reason, why she wants to visit the mall, maybe the main one too, her curiosity is killing her.

* * *

After an hour passed, they're finally sitting in a bus on their way downtown. Ellie can't stop to gawk at the other people, who join and leave the bus, when ever it comes to an halt.

There are so different kind of people, kids with their parents, teenagers her age or older, even old people. Their clothes are, of course typical for these days, clean, fitting and without holes. Something is missing, but at first Ellie can't really say what it is. The whole atmosphere is different, light and blithe, there is no tension in the air. This kind of tension, in which bitterness of broken people, who try to be strong, anxiety of danger hidden in every corner and the apprehension that every day could be the last are aggregated to one big, miserable burden. A burden, taken off of Ellies shoulders and apparently going under in the happy chatting of the people around her. At that realization, an alleviating feeling spreads out in Ellies chest and rushes through her body. And as she watches a maybe three year old boy laughing and fidgeting in his mothers arms, while she attacks his belly with ticklers, cheeky grinning, she can't no longer force back the smile, forming on her face.

Her view wanders to the girl next to her, Liv. She's looking out of the window, earplugs stuffed in her ears, she lightly nods her head, probably to the beat of the music. She suddenly turns around and meets the longing look of Ellie. She pulls one plug out and offers it to the redhead, with a knowing grin.

''That's what you get, when you cruelly break your poor phone. You have to beg for music.'' Ellie rolls her eyes, but takes the plug gratefully and stuffs it in her own ear. She has no idea what's the deal with this phones anyway. When they were still at home and Ellie told Liv, after the blonde asked her why she didn't answered her messages, what happened to her phone. The blonde nearly freaked out.

''WHAT?! Nooooo you didn't...show it to me!'' Ellie just gave her a confused look, but showed Liv her broken phone, after they made their way to her room.

''Ellie?! How could you, that's an iPhone 5! An iPhone 5 Ellie! I can't believe it! You just bought it last week.'' She whined and looked meaningful to Ellie, while she carefully petted the broken surface of the gadget. Neither knew Ellie what's going on with the girl in front of her or why she made such a big deal of a broken phone, nor did 'iPhone 5' said her anything. So she just shrugged and said impenitently.

''It was an accident, I didn't mean to break it.''

Liv frowned and gives the readhead an unbelieving glance, but dropped the issue.

After that Ellie thought they would finally leave and head to the mall. But she was shortly proven wrong, as Liv studied her appearance from head to toe. Ellie knows people, especially teenage girls cared a lot about which jeans go with which shirt or which shoes fit best with the outfit. But she never thought it was that bad, until now. Liv insisted that Ellie and she won't leave the house, until she changes her clothes completely. She herself took a look at the blonde as in turn. The girl in front of her wore a white t-shirt with a motive, a jeans jacket, beige trousers (yeah, she knows the colour beige, thanks to the couple of magazines she found) and brown sandles, which reveal feet, with ten cleanly, red painted toenails, Ellies expression remains sceptical. Then, after ten full minutes of discussing, if it matters or didn't matters what to wear, Ellie finally gave in with a groan and a muttered ''So stupid.''. Now her clothes are replaced by a creme-colored, a few size too big, wool pullover, black jeans, which fit her perfectly and black boots. With that she earned Livs full permission to leave the house and after a short dispute about the backpack, in which Liv argued how ridiculous it looks to walk around in the mall with a backpack and which Ellie fortunately won, they finally left and walked to the bus stop.

**I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones**

**Enough to make my system** **blow**

She almost forgot that she has an earplug in her ear, so eventually the song, which blasts in her ear, gets her full attention. And she closes her eyes.

**I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus**

**This is it, the apocalypse**

_Mhh not bad._

Suddenly she feels the earplug pulled roughly out of her acoustic meatus, which causes the readhead to whine in protest and surprise. Her head snaps to her right and she is meet by a cheeky grinning Liv, her eyes beaming.

''We are heeeere!'' She squeaks, jumps to her feet, takes Ellies wrist and pulls the, at first, irritated girl to the now open doors of the bus. Ellie, who quickly shoulders the backpack, which rested the whole ride in her lap, eagerly follows the blonde out of the bus.

_...wow_

They are certainly surrounded by skyscrapers, the sun is slowly setting behind the high buildings, leaving long shadows in the streets. But what really catchs her attention, is the life which floods through the, for her once empty streets. There are people, **lots of** people, where ever her eyes land. Chatting voices from everywhere fill her ears, as well as, the roaring and honking of vehicles, making their way in walking speed to their destination. She takes a sharp breath through her nose, which causes the smell of exhausts and other odors, she can't really assign, to reach her nostrils.

These new impressions, fill all her senses, collide on her and leave her back dizzy.

Liv who notices the state of her best friend, asks with a glint of worry in her eyes.

''Are you alright? You look kind of pale there.''

Ellie just nods dazed and eagerly takes a hold of Livs arm. She wouldn't do that, if her legs aren't about to give in, but they feel like jelly and she needs kind of mentally support. Liv doesn't seem to mind at all, as she smiles at her.

She has to admit that she feels less uncomfortable, rather comfortable around the blonde, much to her surprise. She never was a social type and of course not good in making friends, but with Liv, it was like she met an old, long forgotten friend again. It is kind of strange, but in a good way, she concludes.

Liv leads them over a street and they walk around a corner, through the crowds of people.

Eventually they arrive at their destination. A high cement building with big windows, revealing any number of vitrines with mannequins and other kind of things in departments of technic, toys and clothes, which are flooded in bright, warm light.

A staircase leads to the two-door entrance, which is as well made of glass and welcomes them with open arms.

Excitement grows in Ellie at that view and a thrill of anticipation filled her mind.

She can hear a laugher next to her, which brings her back from her ecstasy. She glances startled to her right only to meet an amused looking Liv.

''That look of yours, like you just saw a mall for the first time.'' She snickers and starts to walk up the stairs, Ellie following suit.

_Under this circumstances, yes._

She smiles sheepishly with a slight blush.

They quickly make their way into the building, skillfully avoiding to bump into other people, who are entering and leaving the mall at the same time. They are met by a wave of warm air and happy chatting of people , which mixes with the low music, playing in the background. They begin to walk over the different shops and Ellie takes a look around. Busy people are leaving and entering the shops with bags and smiles carved on their faces. There are also restaurants, from which delicious scents make their way into Ellies nose. Her mouth begins immediately to water again and she has to stifle the urge to follow these seductive smells. That's how she always imagined how malls looked like before the fungus._ But this is much better! _Suddenly an idea forms in her mind and she turns to Liv, who again (for the dozenth time now, yes she counted it) fiddles around with her phone. Ellie can't help rolling her eyes, but she asks regardless.

''Do you know where the arcade is?'' Excitement swings in her voice as she thinks about finally having the chance to play Double Phoenix or better The Turning.

''Yeah, why?'' Liv asks absent, her view still remains on the phone.

''I want to play!'' she beams and doesn't notice how she begins to bounce up and down, she probably looks like an excited child.

Liv abruptly stops and finally looks up from her phone, to stare at Ellie in disbelief. ''But, I thought you hate video games, Ellie.'' At first Ellie furrows her brows in confusion, but she quickly realizes what's Livs point.

_Maybe the Ellie **she** knows doesn't like video games._

But before she can form an answer, a high, cheerful scream interrupts their conversation.

''Ellie! Olivia!''

Before she knows what happens, two slender, but strong arms are wrapped around her middle, suddenly a sweet, pungent scent fills Ellies airway and she can't restrain a sneezer.

_Urgh!_

As the ''attacker'' pulls back, Ellie is met by two big, blue eyes staring happy back at her. The owner is a small girl with dirty blond hair, which reaches her shoulders. Her face remembers the redhead immediately one of a doll, she once found in a wreckage.

''Hi!'' The girl squeaks with a beam.

''Uh..Uhm hi?'' Ellie replies, still woozy from the strong smell and slightly startled by the sudden contact.

The blond just giggles in her hand and turns her attention to Liv, who welcomes the following bear hug, grinning and with open arms.

''Hey Katy.'' She breaths, holding the smaller girl.

_So that's Kate..._

''Hey Livy.'' She says in the same tone as the girl in her arms and laughs.

''How's going you two?'' A fourth voice with a slight accent, from a dark haired, tanned girl, can be heard. She stands next to Kate and gives the two newcomers a frank smile. She is tall and her hair nearly reaches her hips, she looks like a latin.

_Then that has to be Lucy._

''Good, sorry for the long wait. Blame the ginger here.'' Liv replies and playfully pokes Ellies arm. A faint blush paints the redheads cheeks and she tries to cover up her discomfort with an annoyed eye-roll.

''Don't worry, you get quite used to it.'' Lucy says with a wink. Liv just smiles apologizing and clasps her hands together. She looks expectant between the girls.

''Sooo ladies what are we going to do now?''

Ellie suddenly remembers why she wanted to come here in the first place, but before she can conveys a request, Kate squeaks with her high piercing voice.

''We **have** to go to that small shop over there!'' She shakes her head to a direction behind Ellie. ''They have that cute skirt, I was looking for month! Can we go there first, pleeeeease?'' She makes puppy eyes, her lip forming to a pout.

''Fine! Maybe we can find something for us too, eh?'' With that Liv elbows Ellie and gets a unsure smile in replay.

''Sure.''

_Okay, I think that's the point where I'm good on my own._

As they begin to head to their destination and the three others are deepened in a conversation, Ellie slowly but inconspicuously starts to fall behind.

She continues to walk backwards, convinced that she gets rid of the other girls. Of course her absent won't stay unnoticed, so she has to hurry.

Ellie finally turns around and walks in the opposite direction.

_When I got my things, I can make a short trip to the arcade._

She thinks in anticipation and takes a look around.

_Wait a minute!_

''No fucking way!'' She screams out and a few people turn to stare at her, but she doesn't pay attention to them. She instead begins to run around to drink in her environment with recognition. She can't believe it, this mall is **the **mall. **The** mall which she, oh so often visited with her best friend, **the** mall where she first rode a horse, **the** mall where they often used as a playground for water-gun battles, **the **mall where she had her first kiss, **the** mall where she got bitten and of course **the **mall where...

_...I lost **her**_.

She suddenly has a bitter taste on her tongue and she feels the all to familiar pain in her chest. As she pushes the thoughts out of her mind and waits until the pain goes numb, her eyes are suddenly locked on something in the distance.

A wave of nostalgia rushes over her as she comes closer to the photo-booth. She carefully touches the surface of the small cabin with her hand, a weak smile playing on her lips.

Suddenly it begins to vibrate under her palm and she startled takes a step back.

_What's happening?_

A thin, long paper slides out of a small slot which belongs to the machine. Ellie hesitant takes the paper out of the slot and eyes it suspiciously, as five different pictures appears at the surface.

''Woah!'' She yells and begins to study the paper thoroughly, hoping the secret behind it would be quickly revealed.

''Excuse me miss, can we have our photos please?'' Ellie didn't notice how the curtain of the booth opened mere seconds ago, she's only met now by a woman and her daughter, who patiently wait for a reaction of the girl in front of them.

Ellie first confused, looks at the paper in her hand and back to the kindly smiling woman.

''Uh..Uhm sure, here.'' She hands the photos to the woman.

''Thank you, have a nice day.'' With that, both, mother and daughter turn around and walk away.

Ellie follows them halfway and eventually takes another way.

_So if that's **the** mall, that says I'm in Boston!_

She thinks relieved.

_But why didn't I notice that earlier?_

Ellie wonders, as she walks by the different shops, with no specific destination. It eventually hits her. Of course in her memory the city was a sea of ruins and where ever your view drops, there were garbage and debris in the streets. 21 years is a long time and enough for a city to change that much.

_Anyways that makes the whole thing much easier for me._

''HOLD THE THIEF!'' That causes the people around Ellie to gasp terrified for air, as they look for the source of the voice. Ellie reflexively turns around and before she can react a body crashed against her own and she suddenly falls backwards on her back, luckily her backpack offset the impact. But instead her head hits the ground pretty hard and she sees for a few seconds stars.

''Oww, what the fuck!'' She screamed in pain.

As her view clears, a pair of widened dark eyes look back down at her and she becomes aware of the weight on her chest. The owner of these eyes is a dark-skinned guy with short black hair. He seems familiar. Her eyes widen, her face mirroring the same expression like the guy.

''S-Sam?'' Ellie stutters.

Heavy breathing the guy looks rushed over his shoulder and is suddenly back on his feet.

''Sorry.'' He mutters and continues his escape, while he accidently pumps here and there into clueless people.

Ellie lifts herself up, shocked. She carefully touches the back of her head, only to wince at the pain.

_That's gonna be a nasty bump._

A man comes to her and helps her up, asking her if she's okay, she just nods. Two men in uniforms run by both.

Ellie looks in the direction in which the boy mere seconds ago disappeared in the crowd, where now the men are hurrying too.

_Was that really him?_

She has to admit, she hit her head pretty hard, so it wouldn't surprise her if she just imagined it was him. But can you really imagine something, which is just a few inches away from your eyes? She isn't really sure, so she just shrugs it off.

''Ellie!''

_Shit!_

She turns around and sees a quite worried looking Liv rushing to her, followed by a terrified looking Kate and a calm Lucy, but her eyes with a glint of concern. The blond takes a hold of Ellies shoulders.

''Hey, we just saw what happened, are you alright?'' She asks, as she eyes Ellie, probably searching for any injuries.

Ellie suddenly feels guilty. These girls care so much about her and she just turned her back to them and scrammed.

She nods, but the throbbing pain in her head tells otherwise.

''Sure?'' Kate probes sceptically.

''Yes, I'm sure.'' The redhead sends them a reassuring smile and a relieved sigh escapes the three of them.

Kate plants herself in front of Ellie, akimbo. ''Where have you been, we searched for you everywhere!'' She asks with reproachful look.

''Well, apparently not everywhere.'' Lucy comments, only earning glare from the blond.

''Sorry, I had to piss and I guess I got lost.'' Ellie lies, but her apologizing look is sincere.

Their looks remain sceptical, until Liv finally sighs and adds.

''Fine, but please don't do that again, especially when you have no phone with you.''

''Wait, what happens with her phone?'' Kate asks astonished.

_Oh no, not that again._

* * *

After half an hour in which they trudge round a few shops (mostly clothing stores), the four of them decide to take something to eat, much to Ellies favor. She can't see any cute skirts, or enchanting tops anymore. As they finally arrive at a small, cozy restaurant Ellie sinks in one of the cushioned, red benches with an exhausted sigh. Liv seats herself next to the readhead and places the shopping bags between them. Kate and Lucy situate themselves on the opposite bench.

''Too bad you couldn't find something for you, Ellie.'' Says Kate, while she looks through her own shopping bags. ''You know that blouse would have had fit you so well.'' she says dreamy.

''Yeah, am sure of it.'' Ellie grunts and rubs her eyes with her fingers.

''You know what? I have to piss again.'' With that she stands up and makes her way to the counter. She quickly asks where the toilets are and heads to the direction, where the man behind the counter points.

As she enters the restroom, she walks to a sink, the pain again throbs in her skull.

She begins to splash cold water in her face, which soothes the pain a little. Ellie doesn't notices how the door of a stall opens right next to her, until a face appears next to hers in the mirror. The sight lets her freeze and she can't help to stare. Chocolate-brown eyes, once light chubby cheeks, replaced by high cheekbones, full lips with a short cut just above the upper lip and a small nose. The girl has dark skin and dark-brown hair, which falls lose over her shoulders. All in all she is quite beautiful. The taller girl seems to notice Ellies gaping as she lifts a questioning brow.

''Is anything wrong?'' she asks, slightly annoyed, while she washes her hands.

_That voice..._

''Or is it the first time you see a girl in a restroom for women?'' She continues teasingly and finally turns her view away from the mirror to face Ellie fully.

''Y-you are...,No! That's impossible, I mean you can't just...!'' Ellie screams strident,as she finds her voice again, taking a few steps back from the girl in front of her, while she misses the water-puddle on the floor.

''Hey, calm down!'' The girls voice suddenly softens and she tries to reach out for the readhead. But Ellie flinches back, causing her shoe to slip over the wet ground she again falls backwards. But this time her head doesn't hit the floor, but the marbled wall. A burning pain rushes through her head. The last thing she senses are to slender hands grasping her shoulders and the silhouette of a panicking Riley, who slowly disappears in the darkness.

* * *

**See you in the next, hopefully soon update, stay tuned!**


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